Despite the very negative publicity surrounding her beau of over 2-years (rightfully so as Slade reportedly owes over $160,000 in back child support), it appears Gretchen is dickmatized still standing by her man and even thinking about having kids with him in the future.

First Gretchen, 33, praises Slade for being a good business partner and helping her with her handbag line. “I’m just so blessed to have such a great partner. He helps me with everything. He supports me with everything, so that makes a big difference,” said Gretchen to HollyScoop.

Gretch however admits like any other long-term relationship, the two do have their ups and downs. “We have our fights,” she admits. “We have our moments as we’ve all seen on TV, but overall we just love each other and we feel really blessed.”

Though the couple is yet to be engaged, despite the rumors, Gretchen reveals she still has babies on the brain… with Slade… who owes over 160K in child support. “I’m very excited to have kids one day with him. I’m looking forward to all that,” she said though adding “I’m in no hurry.”

“I’m loving life right now. I’m in a great place. I’m building my companies and my career. I’m loving every second of it,” added Gretch.

Meanwhile Bravo announced last week that it has officially renewed the Real Housewives of OC for a seventh season. No word yet on which cast members will be returning or getting the axe.

And finally Vicki Gunvalson gave a new interview during which she talked about love and her comments has us wondering if she might have ended things with her boyfriend Brooks Ayers, who was exposed as being a dead beat dad.

When asked what advice she would give to people who look up to her, Vicki answered “I believe in love, um, I’m all about love. But I believe that you have to be smart in love. If your gut tells you something, listen to your gut…”

Vicki also gave financial advice to women in regards to living the “Housewives” lifestyle. “I do believe that a lot of these girls feel entitled to their men taking care of them or feel entitled to a privileged lifestyle. And my voice to them is, “stop it!” Take control … know what’s going on in your home,” said Vicki. “I mean prior to Tamara (Barney) getting divorced, she didn’t know what Simon (Barney) made. She never had her name on an account … she was never entitled to write a check out of their joint check book. That’s wrong and she got hurt because of that,” she added.

And below is a new bikini photo of Vicki which she posted on her facebook over the weekend!

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON VICKI’S COMMENTS, & GRETCHEN WANTING TO HAVE KIDS WITH SLADE? NOT SMART OR STUPID?

Michelle Arroyo, Slade’s ex and mother of his son Grayson Smiley, is speaking out against him in a new interview. Michelle states that despite Slade’s claims on the recent reunion show that he is paying his child support, he is still a deadbeat dad who continues to fall further behind in his payments as Grayson‘s medical bills pile up. Grayson, 11, is suffering from a rare brain tumor.

“My son’s father, Slade Smiley, is a deadbeat dad,” says Michelle in the current issue of the National Enquirer. In fact court documents obtained by the mag show Slade is now owing a whopping $160,000 in child support, a vast increase from the $138,000 he owed back in February. Court documents also show he has only made $7,000 in payments over the last several years.

“I just want Slade to do his part as a father,” says Michelle. “We’ve been living with my sister for the past four years. I can’t work because of [Grayson’s] illness.” Michelle states Grayson requires 24-hour care.

Slade was contacted to give his side of the story and the best he could come up with was copies of two $500 money orders he sent to Michelle as proof that he pays his child support. Slade also stated a $20,000 donation to his son’s foundation was made on his behalf by a production company. He however had no response when it came to the 160k he owes. Slade’s driver’s license was suspended back in January due to the delinquent child support.

Michelle adds that she isn’t satisfied with things and takes Gretchen to task for stating in a recent Bravo blog that Slade can prove he’s been paying his support. “I would love to see the documents that Gretchen is talking about,” fumed Michelle. “The court records don’t lie. He needs to start acting like a father and taking some responsibility.”

In the meantime, there is a website set up for little Grayson for those who would like to contribute to his foundation. The website is Amazinggray.org. Grayson has been battling his brain tumor since 2006 and continues to require surgeries to treat the disease.

Gretchen showed off her patriotic side by rocking an American flag bikini, with matching shoes to boot. Gretchen hosted the pool party at Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada.

Right before her appearance, Gretchen posted the following on her facebook page – “I am headed to Bare Pool right now! My bikini is amazing! Infamous Marco Marco custom designed it for me! Can’t wait to show you guys pictures of my blinged out American Flag Bikini!”

Gretchen’s boyfriend Slade Smiley was also in Las Vegas with her though he was’t pictured at the pool party. More pictures below of Gretchen.

Very negative publicity and unflattering reports of arrests for a DUI and unpaid child support in tow, Vicki Gunvalson is standing by her man.

In the current issue of UsWeekly magazine, the Real Housewives of Orange County star not only defends beau Brooks Ayers, but also denies she cheated on her estranged husband Donn Gunvalson with him. A report came out a week ago with an ex-girlfriend of Brooks stating Vicki had been involved with him since 2007. Even more puzzling was the handwritten letter Vicki sent to a judge on behalf on Brooks last August, two months before filing for divorce from Donn.

“We never had an affair,” states Vicki, 49 of her romance with Brooks, 44. It however appears Vicki took a page from the book of her BFF Tamra Barney as the UsWeekly article states she has been dating Brooks for the past 8 months. Just when did Vicki file for divorce? Exactly eight months ago in October. Did she start dating Brooks hours days after filing for divorce???

The report of the 8-month romance is even more surprising because when the reports about Brooks first came out, Vicki downplayed their relationship claiming “I’ve only just started dating this guy, we’ve had like three dates.”

Vicki also takes a page out of Gretchen Rossi’s handbook when she denies Brooks was a deadbeat dad despite his two arrests for being just that. “He fell back on payments,” she admits but says he’s paid $100,000 to his ex over a span of years. “Is that a deadbeat dad?” asks Vicki.

And during her Sunday night appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Vicki went a step further when she revealed she is in love with Brooks adding, “I knew everything. There wasn’t any secrets and lies.”

When asked about the hypocrisy of her situation, you know, being that she has called out Slade Smiley for not paying his child support once or twice, Vicki attempted to defend herself. “If the viewers saw me the last year” said Vicki. “I never talked about Slade. It’s his business and his life and I don’t want him in mine.” Well those in glass houses have no business throwing rocks.

And speaking of Slade, Gretchen tweeted a photo this week of him with his eldest son Gavin Smiley with the caption “Having lunch with Slade’s oldest son Gavin and his girlfriend Kenna! Love them! Gavin is such a sweet and good kid!” That photo is below.

TELL US – THOUGHTS? DO YOU BELIEVE VICKI DID NOT CHEAT ON DONN WITH BROOKS? SURPRISED SHE’S IN LOVE WITH HIM?

The drama began when former housewife Lynne told Tamra Barney that she felt stabbed in the back by Gretchen. The reason? Not only did Gretchen apparently steal her idea to start a handbag line, but Gretchen also recruited the help of the people introduced to her by Lynne months earlier after Lynne asked her to tag along to a business meeting. Lynne also revealed she was upset with Gretchen for starting the bag line without informing her, before going on to accuse Gretchen of just slapping her name on her handbag line.

Upon hearing Lynne’s comments from others, Gretchen decided to confront Lynne, who refused to back down. “I don’t know what’s your business. What’s the business of the week? Is it cosmetology? Is it real estate or is it make up? What is it?” asked Lynne when Gretchen demanded to know why she was talking smack about her business. “She’s ripping me off,” added Lynne in her camera interview. Gretchen’s response was that she didn’t need Lynne’s permission to begin her line, adding that Lynne also hawks a lot of different products. A look at Lynne’s website Lynnecurtin.com does show she now sells bedding in addition to her jewelry line.

And this morning, Tamra chimed in… of course, giving more details on handbag-gate. Below is what Tamra posted on her facebook page –

“The reason Lynne was so mad is because the “2 guys” found out lynne was making handbags and tried to get her to slap her name on their bags. She said NO she wanted to design her own bags. so they went to Gretchen after meeting her with Lynne at an event . She felt betrayed !”

As for Gretchen, she isn’t directly responding to Lynne’s comments, simply tweeting yesterday, “Bottom line: I don’t have the time or energy for negativity or negative people in my life! Too many positive things to do!” A video clip is below for those who missed the bitchfest episode.

The lost footage show also gave us a lot of new footage such as Alexis Bellinovisiting a marriage counselor and admitting her and Jim visit the counselor several times a week. We got to meet Darren Vieth aka Tamra’s ex and father of her son Ryan Vieth, as the two prepared for Ryan to get surgery for Gynecomastia aka breast development in men — a side effect of steroids usage. Ryan admitted he had taken steroids in the past. Also on the reunion show lost footage, Vicki Gunvalson revealed estranged husband Donn used to threaten her with divorce quite often during their marriage.

Speaking of Vicki, she has now deleted her facebook page in addition to making her twitter page private following the recent backlash and negative publicity concerning her boyfriend Brooks Ayers. It came out last week that Brooks was arrested twice for failure to pay child support and once for a DUI.

Meanwhile following last week’s reunion, Slade Smiley spoke with E! Online about Tamra’s comments and her contact with his ex-girlfriend/mother of his son Michelle Arroyo. “I am still very confused as to why Tamra thinks any of this is her business, and we find it very creepy she would reach out and have a conversation with someone she has never met,” said Slade. He continues, “I believe Tamra is delusional and willing to do anything and everything to stay in front of the camera and stay on TV no matter whether it hurts her kids or the people around her.”

Tamra fired back in her own E! Online interview. Speaking on her new friendship(??) with Michelle, Tamra claims, “We became friends through a mutual friend. I feel extremely sorry for her and my heart breaks for her and Grayson. Michelle is a very strong woman and went out of her way to contact me today to tell me that she was proud of me for standing up for her and Grayson and to keep my head up.” Tamra also has choice words for Slade, but manages to get in a dig to Gretchen as well. “While [Slade has] accused me of many false and bold lies throughout the entire season, I am not crying to the press about them. Why? Simply because his allegations are false. The bottom line is that I don’t care what Slade has to say about me. Like Gretchen, he thrives on lies and manipulation,” she says.

This interview was done just days before the details about Vicki’s boyfriend came out. Tamra has still yet to comment on that.

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON THE LOST FOOTAGE EPISODE? DOES LYNNE HAVE A RIGHT TO BE MAD AT GRETCHEN? DID GRETCHEN BACK STAB HER? PLUS THOUGHTS ON SLADE VS TAMRA?

RadarOnline paints a very unflattering picture of Brooks as court records show he is in good company with Slade a deadbeat dad who owes a ton in child support to two different women.

It gets even worse as Brooks was arrested TWICE last year in Alabama and Mississippi for failing to meet his child support obligations to estranged wife Kim Ayers. The court docs show he owed Kim and another woman over $40,000 in back child support at the time of his arrest.

It is also this next tidbit of information that makes us wonder if Vicki was cheating on Donn before filing for divorce. See following one of Brooks’ arrest in August of last year, Vicki sent a handwritten letter to a Mississippi judge in a desperate bid to get Brooks released from jail.

“I am a personal friend of (David) Brooks Ayers and am acting on his behalf at this time,” wrote Vicki on August 30. “Due to the fact I live in California, I am unable to deliver this request personally,” she added.

The problem is this letter was written TWO months before Vicki, 48, filed for divorce from husband of 16 years Donn Gunvalson in October. In fact, some of our readers have also pointed out that Brooks strikes a striking similarity to a guy that was shown flirting with Vicki in a pool on this season’s OC Housewives during her trip to Cabo with Tamra.

As for Brooks, he has three kids with his estranged wife Kim and a 16-month-old son with his ex-girlfriend Nicolette Catanzarite. “I don’t want him back,” Kim told RadarOnline. “What I want is the child support. He ought to do the right thing and take care of his kids.” Kim also issued a warning to Vicki, “Sometimes you don’t know people. You have a choice to make. Do your homework! It’s not hard.”

Nicolette also spoke to Radar stating that Brooks is not the Southern gentleman he pretends to be. “I once thought of Brooks just what Vicki said on the show; he was the sweetest southern guy in the whole wide world,” said Nicolette. “But over the last two and a half years, I have slowly realized things weren’t right. He’s the catch-me-if-you-can type of guy. He’s definitely a deadbeat dad.”

Days after Gretchen sort of made a valid pointcalled Tamra a hypocrite for her actions on the Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra is now responding. In a new interview, Tamra refers to Gretchen as being “obsessed” with her and also makes reference to her legal issues and dead-beat boyfriend Slade Smiley.

“Gretchen’s constantly bashing me in interviews is nothing more than a clever diversion, created so the attention is not on the three lawsuits in which she is currently involved and the problems with her [boyfriend Slade‘s] past-due child support,” Tamra tells E! Online via an email she sent to them. “She has NO knowledge of the issues I had with Jeana [Keough], yet she constantly finds reasons to talk about me in interviews, on the show and on her Bravo blogs.”

Tamra continued, “She is nothing more than obsessed with me…You would think with all her legal problems, she would use her time more wisely. I truly feel sorry for her and hope that she lets go of the anger she has in her heart as I did for Jeana Keough.”

Ouch. Tamra also promises all of her drama with Gretchen will be addressed on the upcoming 2-part reunion show.

And speaking of Gretchen’s legal drama, she scored a small victory in court this week against her ex Jay Photoglou. A week after requesting a protective order to keep Jay from talking to the press about certain issues, Gretchen was granted most of it.

A judge granted a protective order which prohibits both Gretchen and Jay from discussing the “sexual history of either party, either party’s financial information,” plus home and cellular telephone numbers and home addresses. As we speculated last week, this order was likely requested by Gretchen to prevent her financial information from leaking to the press during a deposition. Gretchen was ordered to fork over $40,000 to Jay for his legal fees earlier this year and has yet to.

In fact Jay’s attorney Bryan Freedman confirms a deposition is indeed in the works. “Our next move is to take Rossi’s deposition within the next few weeks,” said Bryan.